Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness and impact of the UK Parliament Education and Engagement service in the nations and regions.

Education and Engagement is part of the wider Participation team and shares the strategic aim of the Participation team to reach every part of the UK with its range of public engagement services.

In financial year 2025/26, Education and Engagement’s combined services reached every constituency in some form. In the longer-term, the team aims to increase the scale of services every constituency receives. Part of achieving this aim will include the creation of a digital outreach model, to replace the current regionally-based model. Under the current model, in 2025/26, 32% of constituencies received no outreach visits at all. The new service aims to significantly improve on these figures, with much greater opportunities for Members to join in with digital sessions with their local schools. The total, combined reach of the new service is expected to be the same as or greater than the current service by the third year of its operation.

The Commission has also endorsed a recommendation from the Education and Engagement Team to put in place regional allocations for slots for schools to visit Parliament and the Parliamentary Education Centre, meaning, for the first time, that all UK regions and nations will be given a fair and equitable allocation of opportunities to visit.

In terms of Parliament’s overall engagement work across the UK, a number of different programmes continue to provide opportunities for the public to participate, including UK Parliament Week, teacher training activity delivered around the country, the travel subsidy scheme supporting visits to the Parliamentary Education Centre, Learn with the Lords, and wider outreach undertaken by select committees. Taken together, these channels mean that Parliament will continue to have a strong and visible presence beyond Westminster, even as the Education Outreach service evolves.